Graduation Requirements: Policy 2.16

Standardized Examination

Every student applying for graduate study at Blue Mountain Christian University is required to take either the Graduate Record Examination, the Miller Analogy Test, or the Praxis II - Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT), and the Subject Area Test, dependent upon the program of study. For applicants who received an initial license through an alternate route program or the state in which the initial license was issued did not require the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT), the Subject Area Test alone is acceptable. In addition, temporary changes in state licensure test requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be honored.

No student will be admitted to candidacy at Blue Mountain Christian University until the score on the appropriate examination has been received from the examining agency.

If a standardized test is taken at another institution, it is the student's responsibility to see that the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education receives a copy of that score.

All degree-seeking students must take the required test(s) the first time it is offered after enrolling. No more than twelve hours of course work will be credited toward a degree until the requisite test has been taken. The student is responsible for requesting that test scores be sent to the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education.

Admission to Candidacy

All requirements for degree candidacy should be completed when a student has earned 12 hours of graduate work and before the student receives credit for more than 15 hours of work toward a degree. The Office of Graduate and Continuing Education will provide the student a copy of the document.

To be eligible for admission to candidacy for a graduate degree, a student must:

Complete an Application to Candidacy Form.
Satisfy all requirements for regular admission to graduate study.
Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of graduate work at Blue Mountain Christian University. Satisfactory completion is interpreted as having a B average on all graduate work pursued.
Have on file in the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education a record of an acceptable score from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination, the Miller Analogy Test, or the Praxis II. No student will be admitted to candidacy until scoring at or above the minimal level required by the program of studies.

Time Limitation

All students pursuing the graduate degree must complete the program within six years from the time the first graduate course is taken. No credit will be allowed for any course taken prior to six years before graduation unless recommended by the Dean of Graduate Studies and approved for extenuating circumstances by the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education. (However, it should be noted that students participating in the present Scholarship Program must complete the degree within three years.)

Grade Requirement

To qualify for a graduate degree the student must earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher on all courses taken to fulfill requirements for a graduate degree.

A grade of INCOMPLETE may be given a student who fails to complete all requirements for a course within the required semester or term because of extenuating circumstances and with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies. A grade of I becomes an F if not removed by the end of the next semester or summer term.

Comprehensive Examination

Depending upon the graduate program, the appropriate department will require written and/or oral comprehensive examinations as part of the degree requirement.

Students will be notified the date and time of the oral/written comprehensive examinations. Comprehensive exams will be scheduled during the last semester of graduate work. No comprehensive examination will be authorized unless the student has an average GPA of 3.00 or higher.

Application for Degree

Candidates for a graduate degree should file an application with the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education a semester in advance of completion of degree requirements and pay the graduation fee in the Business Office. The graduation fee is a mandatory, comprehensive fee that covers the cost of the diploma, cap, gown and hood rental, and other incidental costs related to graduation.

The graduate student must have a 3.00 average or higher on Blue Mountain Christian University graduate work at the time the student applies for graduation.